Door clamping device



DOOR CLAMPING DEVICE Filed Sept. 12, 1940 l l I ha el-46 firrariu/ens' I come loosened in transit.

Patented Apr. 21, 1942 i 2 280 122 Application September 12, 1940, Serial No. 356,557 1 Claim. (01. 292-288) Due to the present day trend toward the use trouble is obviated or minimized by the use of of enamel finish for stoves, kitchen cabinets, my improved clamping device I1. heaters and the like,much damage to enameled It should be noted here that in conventional parts occurs when the enameled door panels bestove constructions the adjacent edges of the The principal object of the presentinvention spaced from each other, as at l8. According to compartment doors or drawers l5 are slightly is to reduce breakage and other damage to a the present invention the front frame 5 is formed minimum by providing inexpensive clamping ,with one or more tapped holes 19, preferably lomeans for securely holding. the door panels in cated at a point equidistant from the adjacent place against the conventional front frame dur corners of two or more doors l5 and registering ing shipment. i v i withthe openings or spaces l8, between adjacent Another object of the invention is toprovide doors.

a door panel clamp which can be readily applied The clamps I1 comprise small headed screws and as easily removed from the front frame of 1 or bolts adapted to be threadedly received in a stove or the like. i 5 the tapped holes I9, each screw being provided A still further object of the invention is to with a spacer sleeve 2| of heavy paper andof provide a door panel securing device which does such length that its outer end will be flush with not mar a stove or the like when applied thereto the outer face of frame panel members I6 when and which does not leave the stove in an unthe inner end of the sleeve bears against the sightly state when the device is removed; 20, front frame 5. Arranged in superimposed rela- Otherobjects and advantages of the invention tion between the head of the screw 20 and the will be apparent from the following description outer end of the spacer sleeve 2|, in the order considered with the accompanying drawing, in named, is a preferably two-ply corrugated paper which: a a p l n ing strip a large metal washer Figure l is afront \view of 'a stove or range 25 23 and a small metal washer 24. Whenhthe having a plurality of the improved clamping descrew 20 is forced inwardly by means of a screwvices applied thereto; driver or other suitable hand tool the relatively Figure 2 is a fragmentary section through the large heavy flexible paper strip 22 is forced tighti front frame of a stove and adjacent portions of 1y against the corner faces of the respective door a pair of doors or closure members, showing the panels thus clamping the panels tightly to the clamping member in place. front frame. The strip 22 is preferably rectan- Referring more particularly to the drawing in gular in shape for economy of manufacture, but which like numerals designate like parts through it will be obvious that the same may be of cirout the several views, 5 designates the front frame cular or any other desired shape, provided only of a stove or range 6. In the present instance that the strip is of such size that the marginal the range comprises baking and broiling oven edges thereof are adapted to overlap the adjac'ompartments I and 8 at one side thereof and at cent front faces of the adjacent door corners. the opposite side aburner compartment 9 and Due to the flexible compressible nature of the upper andlower utility compartments l0 and II corrugated paper strips 22 the clamping screws respectively. The'front frame 5 preferably but 40 can be screwed up without danger of injuring not necessarily of integral angle iron constructhe porcelain panels. Furthermore it willbe seen tion comprises vertical members I! and horithat the slightly compressible nature of the spac zontal members l3 which provide the customary ing sleeve 2| causes the latter to serve asbolt or rectangular openings through which access mat screw lock when the inner and outer ends of behad to the several compartments 1 to II in"- the sleeve are respectively forced against the clusive. Conventional doors or drawers l5 each frame and the corrugated inner face of the paper comprising front and rear sheet metal panel strip 22.

members I6 and I6, normally close the several In a stove having six compartments such as rectangular door or drawer openings. Accordshown in the drawing, two tapped holes l9 will be ing to common practice the front panelmembers provided and of course two clamping. devices I! I6 are faced with enamel. As previously stated will be sufficient to securely hold the six door one of the biggest causes of damage to enameled panelsin place during shipment. The screws 20 parts, such as the front dodr panels is the difand associated parts of the clamps I! are reficulty. of securely fastening the door panels so moved when the stove reaches its destination and that they will not be loosened in transit. This because of the small cost involved these parts will be discarded. Due to the narrowness and relative depth of the space l8 between the door panels, the tapped holes H! are not visible when the screws are removed.

' Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

A clamp for securely holding a plurality of spaced enameled door panels to the front frame of a stove in transit comprising a headed screw adapted to engage in a tapped opening'formed in the front frame in register with the space between the door panels, a substantially square flexible strip of readily compressible corrugated paper carried by said screw and adapted to overlap and engage one or more of said door panels and force the same tightly to said frame when said screw is screwed home, a metal washer on said screw between said screw head and said flexible strip, and a relatively heavy compressible paper tube loosely encircling said screw, said tube being of a length such that; when the inner end thereof is seated against said frame the outer end of the tube will be substantially flush with the outer faces of the said panels and in position to be engaged and compressed by said flexible strip to lock the screw against accidental rotation when said screw is screwed home.

CHRISTOPHER L. HARDWICK. 

